Slave Trade
by Dragon of the Fall
Summary: The story follows an Earth Kingdom girl who is forced into the slave trade after her capture by the Fire Nation. We follow her as she encounters multiple characters throughout the Avatar-verse. Rated T for language and some abusive elements involving teens.
1. Chapter 1

I have been working on this story for nearly two years now. I feel it is finally time I have some feedback and try to see if anyone takes interest to the story. It follows my own original character and her interactions with characters from the Avatar-verse. Please leave your much appreciated comments! I hope you enjoy :)

Disclaimer! I only own my original characters in the story. I do not own any of the characters from the show! Please don't sue me...

Chapter One:  
Free Spirit

The forest set ablaze. Trees falling on the thundering ground. Houses filled with families, burning and being crushed by massive trees. Screaming. Screams of children, screams of adults. Screams of families being torn apart, being slaughtered like animals. The burning bodies fell to the ground, limp and no longer fighting to put out the flames engulfing them. They were at peace; they were the lucky ones. Oh how I envied them. Why couldn't I have died with my family, gone onto the next life. Maybe I would be lucky enough to be born into a peasant family in the Fire Nation. I wouldn't have sleepless nights, merely waiting for death to come to my village. We would be protected. I could sleep peacefully. Oh peaceful sleep…not filled with nightmarish horrors. I welcome you, sweet, blissful death…..

"Get up the lot of ya! Get up I said!" a soldier violently beat on the cell's bars with his "correction" stick; at least, that's he liked to call it. He sure did favor his toy. He often enjoyed reminding us who was in charge. Of course, how could we forget? The cells were small, slightly big enough to sleep five comfortably. Would have been more enjoyable had we not been packed in, twenty to a cell. I learned to sleep sitting upright, as did most of the older girls in my cell, allowing the younger ones to lie down, hoping they may grasp a sliver or restful sleep. Sadly, none of us ever got any decent sleep. We lived on a slave ship, and all of us were slaves, waiting to be sold to others in the fire nation. Maybe we would work on a navy ship or for a merchant in the Fire Nation. Either way, our fate was already decided. Slave trade was common amongst the fire nation, especially with children who were captured from destroyed villages. They were easier to control than adults; weaker than them. The fact that they only fed us enough to stay alive kept us weak. Of course, you would just think you could refuse to eat; to die of starvation. I tried, but the soldiers are watching. They don't want any of their precious cargo wasting away. I tried to starve myself soon after I came onto this ship. Intentionally or unintentionally, I don't recall. I just remember after a few days they began to force down my rations until I did it myself. Oh how I want to die, to be with my family and my village. Only a few children and teenagers were spared from the flames and the brutal murder. But we were not lucky, we were having to face a fate worse than death; having to serve _these _men. They made me sick. I feel ill just thinking about what these men do every day. How do they sleep and eat knowing they are killing innocent children, tearing apart families, destroying lives? I suppose it's natural to them. The Fire Nation has been bloodthirsty and hungering for power for as long as anyone can recall.

The guards threw in a couple loaves of stale bread. They hit the metal floor with a CLANG; they sounded extra stale today. I was hoping to be lucky enough for some two day old bread, but I suppose this will do. The guard slid in a pitcher of water and walked on to the next cell to distribute rations to the others. I picked up the loaves and began to tear them apart, distributing them as evenly as possible, sparing the young ones with a little extra. It wasn't much, but it would suffice, not having to do much work around here today. They didn't like to wear us down too much on days when potential buyers would come on board. The past six months or so I have been on board, I have still managed to not be sold of like a piece of meat. I try to make myself seem uncontrollable, somewhat of a free spirit. No one's dared to try and take me on as one of their servants. I'm a little of what they call, "a free spirit".

The cell door slid open; a guard told us to go up to the deck and to stand in line. We marched up the steps and formed a line on the deck. There was a large navy ship anchored right next to ours. Probably just coming to buy a few new girl servants and young men to shovel coal. I suppose it couldn't be that bad working on one of those ships. Probably get a decent amount of food in exchange for cooking, cleaning, polishing armor, washing clothes, and an array of other duties. I suppose it could be worse, but nothing could ever be as good as sweet, sweet freedom. At least getting out of the musty cell and receiving a few precious moments of fresh air was pleasurable.

"You have quite a selection here Mr. Lao. Some strong men, fine for strenuous manual labor." The strange, bearded man said, grasping one of the boy's arms who stood in line in front of us. The poor boy flinched, probably expecting something a little meaner than a grasp to feel his strength. The man walked up and down the line which the boys stood in, pulling three of the strongest young men out of the line and instructed his soldiers to lead them back to his ship. Lao sent the young men back to their cell, which left only us. Wonder who would be taken away next...

"What lovely young ladies you have here. How old is this one here?" the strange man put his hand on one of the girls in line. She looked about my age and she didn't say much. Not many of us did though, so who knows if she had always been that way. She may have been one of the most outgoing girls back home. She was pretty, and she probably would have looked even better if we had been given a decent place to bathe. Her curly, black locks fell slightly beneath her shoulders and her green eyes reminded me of beautiful jade They looked so pure, so full of life, despite our current stature.

"She's 13, sir. Quiet, she is, but a hard worker." Lao pulled the girl from the line. Her face showed no emotion, almost like she didn't care.

"Fine girl, please escort her to the ship." The man motioned the girl over to one of the soldiers standing on deck, who was quick to obey orders.

"And how about you, how old are you little one?" The man seemed to be acting kind towards the young girl he was talking to, kneeling down to talk to her. The young girl he was talking to was named Aurora, the girl who was brought onto the ship about three weeks ago with her older sister. Her older sister was sold to a merchant soon after they were brought onto the ship. Aurora was stricken with sorrow and she cried herself to sleep each night for the next two weeks. She had stopped recently though, no more tears left to spill over something that is out of control. It saddens me that she will most likely never see her sister again, but then again, none of us will most likely see our families again.

"I-i-i-'m e-e-egh-t, sir." She was trembling and he voice was shaking, she looked as though she was about to cry, her bright blue eyes were glassy.

"How charming, take her back as well." He patted her blonde head and she walked over to the soldier. I don't understand why he would want a girl so young… I suppose her small fingers would come in handy for polishing the soldiers' armor, but for her to be that young and sold off as a slave is just awful. The man walked up the line, becoming closer and closer to the place I stood. I had a bad feeling about this man. He didn't seem to be as nice as he was pretending to be. I silently prayed in my head, hoping he would not approach me.

"My, my, aren't you a pretty thing?" Damn. He was standing right in front of me. I kept my head down, not wanting to look him directly in the eye. I felt his fingers touching my dark brown hair. I moved my head away; his touch made me sick.

"And how old is she?" Mr. Lao looked at him cautiously.

"She is 13 as well, Captain. But I must warn you, she can be a little… difficult." The man slid his fingers under my chin, bringing my head upward so he could get a good look at me. My dark brown eyes were filled with hatred as I looked at him. I showed no fear, only fight. I doubt he could even read it.

"Oh but she is darling. Just look at her face." He ran his hand over my left cheek. I was done behaving myself. Before he could say anything to his soldier, I spat directly into his face. I could tell immediately after I did that, he was done playing nice too. He backhanded me with such great force I was thrown onto the ground. My mind was a bit blurry, but I remember hearing a few gasps from the other girls, and I believe one small scream. I then remember being dragged to my feet by a guard. Then, much to my disbelief, they began taking me towards the other ship.

"I'll take her, too. It's nothing I can't handle. I like a challenge. Here is you money Mr. Lao. Could you tell me what that girl's name is?" The man tossed Lao a bag of gold pieces. Mr. Lao looked in the bag, and then at the man.

"Her name is Mai. Good luck with her, Captain Zhao. And thank you for your business." I saw the girls head back down to their cell as I was taken across to the new boat I was supposed to call home. It felt much more like a prison to me, but I suppose I had better get used to it. I began to regret the move I had made, but it was slightly too late to take it back. I suppose I should start behaving myself, but where is the fun in that?

I was taken below deck and down to one of the rooms down there. It was a step up from the cell we were sharing with all those girls. Three beds were placed against the walls of the room, along with a wardrobe, which I suppose was filled with fire nation servant clothes. I was thankfully to not have to continue wearing these filthy rags we were provided. There was a door that led into a tiny bathroom, with a bathtub. Oh how I could not wait to clean myself up in a real tub instead of using old water to wash up in the cell. Aurora and the other girl were already in there. I suppose they were still trying to adjust. Perhaps this wasn't going to be as horrible as I presumed.

"The captain is expecting you to report to the kitchen in one hour to cook dinner for the ship. There will be a cook there to supervise you and assist, also to make sure you don't do anything stupid. It is deck level, first door on your right. Do not be late." The soldier turned and left the room, closing the door behind them. I walked over to the wardrobe and opened it, examining the new clothes that were hanging up. I pulled out a decent outfit, dark red and black. It looked pretty nice for being a servant outfit. I suppose they want us to look nice too, since we are the only three girls on this ship. The men on here must be pretty tired of only seeing other men.

Aurora laid curled up on the bed, she was sniffling and she looked so scared; so weak. I looked away, trying to focus more on finding something to wear. Pulling one of the outfits that looked about my size from the closet, I walked into the bathroom, eagerly awaiting that bath. Oh how great it would feel to be clean. I turned faucet and the hot water began pouring into the tub. I slipped into the water, the burning hotness felt wonderful on my skin. After taking a cleansing bath, I stepped out of the tub, wringing my hair out. The water was murky, but I felt somewhat refreshed, almost like I had just washed my worries down the drain….

Almost.

I braid my hair back, nice and tight to keep it from falling in my face. Then, after putting on my new clothes, I left the bathroom and headed out to the kitchen. Wouldn't hurt to go and get an early start. Maybe I could get a few good bites of food myself. Oh how I longed for some fresh fruit, fresh bread, fresh meat… My stomach growled in a lowly sense. Our food supply is far from what one would call "sufficient" but it's not like we could just wander off in search of our own food. One boy was caught stealing from the kitchen on the slave ship. We never saw him again. I suppose it was to make an example, and it worked.

I pushed open the metal door which lead into what I believed was the kitchen. I was thankful to be right. A man stood at the counter, cutting something that looked like a form of pepper, although not one I was familiar with. He looked up, his amber eyes looked old and tired. His brown hair was pulled back into the traditional topknot, his hair dusted with gray. He wore armor of the fire nation, must be one of the soldiers put on kitchen duty, and I was in charge of helping him serve the crew and other soldiers. This man looked somewhat kind, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Ah, so your one of the new servants the Captain has purchased. It will be nice having someone to help me with all this cooking." He smiled, and it looked sincere. I was somewhat amazed in this man's politeness, so to return his politeness, I gave a small bow.

"What are we making this evening?" I walked towards the man, examining the strange looking peppers that were sliced on the cutting block.

"The captain's favorite; fire pepper chili. Grab a knife and help me cut these peppers."

After a few hours in the kitchen, seasoning and cooking the chili to perfection, it was dinnertime. The crew awaited in the dining hall while the nice man, who later introduced himself as Jeong, and I served the dinner to the hungry men. I had also made a couple loaves of bread to go along with the steaming hot chili. And, to my amazement, I was allowed to take what was leftover back to our room to share with Aurora and the other girl.

"You go ahead back to your room and get some rest. I know it's been a long day for you. I'll clean up what is left in the kitchen." I thanked him over and over as I took that rest of the chili and a loaf of fresh bread back down to our room. As soon as I opened the door, I saw their eyes light up as they saw the pot I was carrying, along with the bread. They both looked exhausted as we sat down to eat what seemed like almost a delicacy to us. We hadn't had anything but bread for such a long time. It felt amazing to actually be full. They told me about the chores in which they were both doing today. The girl who was around my age, who I found out was named Rose, was in charge of cleaning the ship, and Aurora was on laundry duty. Poor thing's fingers were still wrinkled from scrubbing clothes for so long. But I could tell she was extremely grateful for the food.

That night, for the first time in a long time, we went to bed with food in our stomachs. We actually had beds to sleep in. They weren't the most comfortable, but it sure did beat sleeping on the cold, metal floors. We all climbed into our beds soon after eating, as we were all exhausted. As I laid in my bed, in the dark, metal room. I could hear soft crying, coming from Aurora. I felt bad for her, imagining how terrible it would be to be this young and being torn away from your family. She reminded me a lot of the little girl I looked after a lot in my own village. A man named Jeru who lived near us woke one night to find an orphaned baby which lay in a woven basket in front of his house. Jeru was only 18 and lived alone, and to much of the village's surprise, he kept the little girl and raised her like his own daughter. I often helped watch her, because I had always wanted a little sister, but only had two older brothers, both who were serving in the war. When Lela, Jeru's daughter, was five, Jeru had been recruited to go fight in the war, like my two brothers and many other young men in the village. My family took Lela in and promised to watch out for her. Lela was killed when she was seven years old, along with most of my village. A soldier figured her too young to be able to be put into the slave trade, and slit her throat, right in front of me. I still remember her scream. I'm sorry, Lela. I tried so hard to save you.

I tried…

I then took it upon myself to watch out for Aurora. I refused to let something bad like that happen to her too. She's so young, I need to watch out for her. I called for her to come over, asked if she would like to sleep in my bed, if that would make her feel safer. She nodded, whipping away her tears as she climbed in with me, cuddling up against my chest. She had stopped crying, and I could tell she was soon asleep. I whispered quietly.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you…I promise."

If you would like to read another chapter of this story, please let me hear about it in the comments section!


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay everyone! I have only one final left for the semester and the whole winter break to get writing! I do have a few weeks worth of writing so I will try to keep as consistent as possible. I hope you all enjoy.**

**And just an FYI, we are going to jump...**

I could feel the sun warming my skin. Morning already? I sat up in bed, stretching slowly. I look at the other two beds, which both lay empty. Why didn't they wake me. They know it's an important day and that I can't be late. I pull my hair back and change quickly, rushing out of the room as fast as I can as I make my way to the kitchen. I enter through the door way and swiftly pull on an apron. Jeong was stirring the noodles, simmering ever the hot flames.

"Of all the days to be late, Mai…" he continues to stir without even glancing at me.

"I know, I know!" I see the raw goose duck laying on the cutting board, waiting for me. I begin to make the stuffing and spicing the bird with a concoction of herbs and spices. Roasted goose duck was a special of mine, although I had a number of specials. One thing I had learned since I arrived on this ship was that I had a talent for cooking. I suppose that is a good thing. Makes me seem not so useless. When the bird is stuffed and seasoned, I put it in the oven, where it will remain for the next several hours. I relax, knowing that the most difficult part of the meal is complete, and I get to work helping Jeong clean up the mess left from breakfast.

"So, you must be excited about having some of that leftover goose duck for dinner, no?" Jeong brings me over a large pot in need of washing, trying to make small talk.

"I'd much rather cook a simpler dish. I always feel like I'm going to mess up the balance of spices." I sigh, running clean water into the pot.

"Oh but you never do. I am sure the meal will turn out perfect. Besides, you know this is our guests' favorite dish. And it is a special occasion today." Jeong begins cutting a number of vegetables as he begins working on a nice stir-fry. He was right. Today was the day Captain Zhao's brother and nephew were coming on board for a few nights as we made our way back to the fire nation.. We had been all throughout the Earth Kingdom and it was time for them to be making a visit back home. It also happened to be Zhao's nephew's 17th birthday, which is why this expensive bird was currently roasting. I did not care much for Zhao's nephew. I had only met him a few times before and he seemed much like Zhao; greedy and pompous. Maybe that's just how all people from the fire nation act… with the exception of Jeong, of course. I had been on this ship for a little over two years now, and Jeong had always treated me like a real human being, not just a slave. He made these past two years bearable, and he has taught me how to hold my tongue, at least better than before. My manners still have something to be desired, he says, but then he just smiles and continues with his work. Jeong is very patriotic, and he very much respects Captain Zhao and the other soldiers, but he tells me how this war is a mistake, and that he cannot wait for it to end. Jeong is so wise; he reminds me of my grandfather. I miss him too.

"Well nobody made me a roast goose duck on my 15th birthday last month." I said, pretending to pout as I dried off the large pot and put it back in its place.

"Well I'll be sure to make it up to you next year." Jeong gave me a kind, old smile. I smiled as well, then started to work on the rice. After a few hours of work, the whole kitchen smelled of the delicious roast. It was starting to make my mouth water. After all the cooking was complete, I sat down at the rickety, old table that stood in the kitchen with a bowl of rice. I needed some food to hold me over until after the big dinner. Jeong sighed in relief as just about everything was complete.

"You should go wash up and change into some nicer looking clothes. You know how Captain Zhao feels about you girls not looking your best when we have guests." Jeong takes my empty bowl of rice over to the wash basin. I stand up and walk out of the kitchen, heading back to our room to take a nice bath. I brush by Aurora, who is taking the fresh sheets she had washed earlier to the guest rooms. She has grown so strong over these past two years. She is a hard worker, and she is very smart. I still keep forgetting she is only ten years old.

"Don't work too hard, and don't forget you need to put on your best serving uniform." She nodded and smiled at me. Sometimes, I forget we aren't really sisters, but we sure do feel like we are. When I walk into our small room, Rose is already bathed and dressed, pulling her hair back into a bun in front of the mirror

"I look presentable, right? I mean… do you think I'm pretty?" Rose looked at me through the reflection of the mirror.

"That's probably the stupidest question you have ever asked me. You're gorgeous!" I said as I went into the bathroom and started running the water.

"Sometimes I don't feel like it. Those soldiers just make me feel like a piece of meat hanging in the shop."

"Just ignore them. You know all fire nation soldier are basically scummy low-lives, right?" I laughed

"Yeah, I suppose your right." She said, laying down gently on her bed, taking some time to relax. I closed the door behind me as a walked into the bathroom. I removed my servant robes, making note to be sure I washed them soon and use my other set in the meantime. Tonight was special though, we were having our guests. Whenever Zhao wanted to impress his guests, he made sure that all his servants looked our very best, even buying us expensive fire nation robes. They were quite beautiful, made with an elegant red fabric and trimmed with gold. Had they been earth kingdom colors, I would pride myself in wearing them.

I took a wash rag off its drying rack and soaked it in some warm water and began to wash my face and body. My hair was still clean from my bath last night so I just let it down once I was clean before I pulled it back properly. After feeling dressed and refreshed, I left the washroom to fix up my hair before returning to the kitchen to serve dinner. Aurora is standing in front of the wardrobe, pulling on her dress robes. She winces in pain and struggles, so I come over to help her. Across her naked back were some vicious, red lash marks. Luckily these ones weren't bleeding, but they didn't look very old, most likely from one or two days ago. In a few weeks they would match the other scars on her back. Punishment for not completing a task in a timely manner would be a few strokes of the whip. I had a few matching scars on my back too. They belonged to me for a different reason. Back talk was not accepted from Captain Zhao, and I learned very quickly to hold my tongue, at least to the best of my ability. Poor Aurora though, she is only ten and they expect her to do so much. When I get done with my work early, I often help her with her own chores. I tie the robes behind her back perfectly and look at her.

"Beautiful..." I breathe softly. She smiles at me and I squeeze her gently.

"Thank you" she says softly, brushing her hair before pulling it back in a bun. I do the same for my hair and the three of us head out the door, on our way to the dining hall.

"Today, we are very pleased to have on my brother, Libo on board with us today, along with his son, Long, on his birthday." Zhao paused for a short breath. "We are thankful to have such a strong young man with us tonight, and we wish you luck in joining your father and I in the ranks on our way to glorious victory over the world!" The entire hall erupted in thunderous cheers of soldiers, probably hoping their Captain would stop speaking so they may eat the delicious meal before them. Soon the cheering stops and the three of us began serving the three men at the head table. I went to serve Long, as I had been instructed to do so. I kept me head down as I served him his goose duck, although I could feel his eyes watching my every move, along with Zhao's eyes. I stepped back, gave a small, somewhat respectful bow before returning to the kitchen along with Aurora and Rose. Jeong followed in suit behind us as everyone began to eat.

"He always stares at me." I begin dividing the leftovers between the three of us. We have already headed back to our room for the night after cleaning up the mess left by all the soldiers and the

"guests of honor". It was a lot of cleaning, but for the most part we were allowed to stay hidden in the kitchen.

"He has always stared at you like a creep. What made you think this visit would be different?" Rose slightly laughed at her joke, while beginning to dig in to her plate. I munched on my rice and drank my tea. Aurora's head began bobbing up and down, her eyelids drooping. I could tell she was exhausted. It has been an awfully hard day preparing for Zhao's brother. He always wishes to impress. I helped her into bed and covered her up. She was asleep in seconds, and I joined Rose in eating dinner.

"So… when are we going to do this?" Rose looked very seriously at me.

"I don't know. I don't think it would be too hard to pull off. We have never tried to escape before. They trust us. I want to do it soon… I just don't know when." I look over at Aurora. She has no idea that we are planning an escape. "What happens if we get caught? They would kill us."

"I would rather be killed than spend the rest of my life on this ship!" Rose had raised her voice, perhaps a little too loud. I shushed her immediately, and we waited to see if we could hear anyone coming. "We are stopping on Earth Kingdom land in two days; it's a Fire Nation colony, but not far from freedom if we can get away. I overheard some of the soldiers while I was cleaning today." She whispered softly.

"I don't know. It's so soon… Can we talk about it tomorrow?"

"Yeah, just sleep on it." Rose stacks the dishes and puts them near the door to wash tomorrow. I climb into bed, and quickly fall asleep.

The day goes by quickly. Before I know it, we are preparing dinner and the sun is setting through the portholes. My head is flooded with thoughts of escaping tomorrow. I worry because we have no food stocked up for the journey, and we don't even know where we are going to be once we are off this ship. Of course we are stopping on Earth Kingdom land, but it has been taken over by Fire Nation colonies. Who knows where the nearest Earth Kingdom village would be. After serving dinner, I come back to the kitchen and lay my head on the counter. I hear Jeong come through the door.

"What's wrong, Mai? I don't think I gave you too much work today, did I?" Jeong put his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him.

"Nothing…I just need to rest. I couldn't really sleep well." I feel bad about lying to him, but I don't know how he would react.

"Then go on back to your room. I can handle the cleanup." Jeong smiled nicely at me. I gave a small smile and thanked him before leaving the kitchen. I thought I should stop by the armor room before heading back to make sure Aurora was doing all right.

I found her frantically scraping dirt and soot off of a soldier's chest plate. I could see she still had a few suits of armor to clean and polish. She looked frazzled and worried.

"I need to get this done! If I don't get it done, Zhao will-" I stop her before she can finish, and I pick up the armor polish.

"I can help you, we will get it done in no time." I give her a reassuring smile and take the chest plate from her and begin to shine it neatly. Together, we quickly get the remaining body armor cleaned and ready to deliver to the soldiers.

"Thank you so much, Mai! You're the best." She looks extremely relieved, I pat her shoulder, and hand her an armful of armor.

"I'll see you back in the room." I say, giving her another smile. She smiles back and leaves the room. I take the remaining suits in my arms and make my way to the door, before the door flies open. Zhao is standing there before me, looking slightly confused to find me standing there instead of Aurora. He then turns his confused look into a smirk.

"So, you letting that little girl get away with slacking again, are you?" He puts his hand over the whip coiled up on his side.

"No. She had a lot of work; I just came in a few minutes ago to help her finish up. Jeong let me go. She is just a little girl." I try to present myself as polite as possible. Zhao gives me another confused look.

"I don't want to see you helping her again. She needs to learn to handle her own work." I nod my head politely and brush past him to leave. Zhao grabbed my arm with force, stopping me dead in my tracks. I could feel him leaning towards me. "And don't forget the "Sir" next time." he hisses before releasing his vice grip. I scurry away, having avoided the dreaded whip once more. I pride myself in this, and deliver the armor to their owners quickly. At last, I have one set of armor to deliver and, of course, it belongs to Zhao's nephew. Having to see Zhao tonight was already enough for me. Perhaps he will be out with some of the other soldiers drinking in the dining hall.

Up the metal stairs, I slowly step, trying to be quiet. Almost to the top level of the ship, where the most important guests and the captain's quarters are. I walk down the hallway, stopping at the first door on the left. I press my ear against the cold, lifeless door. Silence. Maybe I will be lucky. I open the door and, to my dismay, I find Long, meditating. He turns abruptly to find me disturbing his silence. I can't tell the expression of his face in the shadows created by the dim candlelight, his face is black.

**So what do you all think of it so far? And what do you think is going to happen next? Love hearing from you all! Thanks for reading!**


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